Divided skirt or overalls



M. 8. BOARDMAN.

DIVIDED SKIRT 0R OVERALLS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1918.

* 1,333,958. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

MARY S. BOARDMAN, OF BING'HAMTON, NEW YORK.

DIVIDED SKIRT OR OVERALLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application filed January 10, 1918. Serial No. 211,184.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARY S. BOARDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Divided Skirts or Overalls, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in womens divided skirt or overalls.

The divided skirt or bloomer as ordinarily tailored does not appeal to the esthetic taste of most women, and is otherwise unsuitable for mechanical tasks, Overalls, even of that type slightly varied from mens garments of the same class, while adopted by some women also offer objections, especially to Women of refined taste and modesty. Such garments are, in the majority of instances, ill-fitting; have inconvenient means for supporting themselves on the wearer; chafe at the crotch;

are not symmetrical in form; do not prop:

erly adjust themselves at the waist line of the wearer, and display or disclose the figure of the wearer to an unpleasant deree.

It is the object of the present invention to produce a garment especially designed for working women that may be considered a combination of the divided skirt, bloomer and overall; one which embodies all of the desired features in these classes of garments but which overcomes or dispenses with the objectionable features associated therewith, so as to produce a womans overall that may be worn in perfect comfort and freedom of movement, which will completely protect her person from exposure, dust and dirt, and which will render the wearing thereof perfectly safe as the same will embody no loose orflying parts which might be .caught in machinery, etc.

It is also an object of the invention to produce a womans garment in the nature of an overall which is adjustable at the waist line so that garments of one stock size maybe perfectly fitted on women of several different sizes of waist.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a womans overall which is principally supported from the waist and permitted to hang in the manner of an ordinary skirtso that the same, at this portion of the garment will adapt itself to the shape of the wearer.

It is a further, and very important object of the invention to produce a womans overall having a flap at the rear or seat thereof, adjustable at the upper edge or belt line thereof to conform itself to the v waistband of the garment, and which flap may be let down Without necessitating the removal of or interfering with the remainder of the garment or of the adjustment of shoulder straps which may be associated with the garment, and which, when in its closed position conforms itself to the shape of the remainder of the garment and fully protects the person of the wearer from exposures. I

It is also my purpose to produce a garment in which the waist band affords a firm support to permit of the wearer adjusting the rear flap, shoulder straps and bib, when the latter are employed, etc., without interfering with the remainder of the garment, and one in which the shoulder straps are permanently attached to the back or end portions of the waist band and may be adjustably connected, through the medium of a sliding buckle-or the like, .to the top of the bib so that the said shoulder straps may be shortened or lengthened as required.

It is a further purpose of the invention to produce a womans overall in which the 'curved lines of the crotch seams are so formed as to afford a roomy seat and perfect comfort to the wearer in all positions, and also in which the garment is so attached that the same will hang like a skirt on the wearer and present no unsightly bulge or bunchiness at the back.

I attain the foregoing-objects, and others by a simple arrangement and combination of parts, a satisfactory embodiment of which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, is being understood, however, that I am not to be limited to the details of the construction herein illustrated, but that I am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of what is claimed.

"In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front view of my improved 7 garment.

In the drawings I have illustrated my garment of the loose or blo-omer type, but it is to be understood that my devices may be equally well. used in the construction of a garment having narrow leg portions, as do mens overalls.

The garment may be made of any suitable material, such as chambray, gingham, denim,

khaki, etc., and may be made with or with-' out a bib, with or without pockets and with or without an outside belt. l

As disclosed by the drawings the garment consists of two identical halves sewed together in such a manner that around the waist and hips it resembles a skirt, but below the seat it is bifurcated or two-legged.

The leg portions of the garment are indicated by the characters H, andas disclosed may have their seams, at their. inner ends provided with .ankle plackets J and ankle bands-I. The split bands each have one of their ends provided with a button K designed to enter a buttonhole L in the other end of the band, but, of course,any desirable means may be employed for connecting the ends of the bands.

The legs, at the upper portions thereof are suspended from a waist band N'which is adjustable so that the garment will fit equally well women of difi'erent waist sizes. The waist band is sewed to the garment across the front from placket M to placket M, the said plackets being arranged at the outer seams of the garment and providing the back of the garment with a flap. The end portions of the waist band are free, extending beyond the plackets and are fastened together at the center of the back of the garment. The manner of finishing and fastening these ends constitutes the adjustable feature of the waist band. Buckles or any preferred means of fastening may be used, but

in the drawings I have shown one end of the band provided with buttons K and the other end provided with buttonholes L. In practice I employ three buttons K and secure the same two inches apart, while two buttonholes are employed that are spaced'three inches apart. This provides for a variation of four inches so that five sizes are thus obtained, and a medium size garment will fit waists of 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 inches. This is also an advantage to the-manufacturer as well as to the wearer, as only three sizes of garments need be made, small, medium and large.

The back flap D is adjustable to correspond with the waist band, the excess fullness thereof being taken up by means of tapes 0, in the device illustrated in Fig. 3. The top of the flap is provided with a facing which, at the central portion thereof, upon the inner edge of the back flap has an opening through which the tapes are passed,

one of the ends of eachof the tapes being drawn together and knotted, thus adjusting the flap with gathers E at the upper or belt line of the flap.

If desired the garment may be provided with a -bib D which has its lower edge stitched to the front of the garment. The bib, upon the upper and inner corners thereof may be provided with buttons (3. Thesebuttons are designed to'be enga ed by the catch member of slidable buckles I3, the said buckles being adjustably arranged on shoulder straps A, which may be employed. The shoulder straps, when employed, are permanently attached to the back or end portions of the waist band, and the sliding buckles permit of the shortening or lengthening of the straps as needed. Of course, other means,\in lieu of the buckle may be provided for connecting the shoulder straps to the bib.

The garment may be provided with an outside belt F, but this belt is simply an attractive finish and is'in no sense an essential feature of the garment. The belt, when used, is sewed at the lower edge in the center, to the middle of the top of the rear flap, so as not to interfere with the adjustment of the flap. After the flap isadjusted the belt parent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains without further detailed description.

I claim is:

An outer garment including a divided skirt having a waist-band adjustable as to length and also havinga back flap the up-, per edge of which is free from the skirt and is hemmed and the side edges of which are detachably connected to the skirt at opposite sides of the upper portion thereof; the said hem at the upper edge of the back flap containing draw-tapes the inner end portionsof which are extended through. a central. opening in the inner wall of said hem and are adjustably connected together, 'and said upper hemmed edge being provided at its outer side with a belt to hide the-edge and the appurtenances thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. I i

MARY s. BOARDMAR- V Having thus described the invention, what 

